Recently set up some Omega Super 8, with my Decware SE84UFO , sounding amazing!
Sweet Spot Listening or Space Immersion?
Like many of you I have a dedicated listening room, focused on high quality, two-channel music. My equipment and room is very much focused on delivering the best SQ to a sweet spot in the middle of my love seat. It’s truly great! But it can feel a bit exclusive since it is very difficult for more than two people to enjoy the benefits at the same time.
I also have a whole home audio system, recently implemented, with high quality in-ceiling speakers in several common areas, with a pair of subs in the largest area (living room/kitchen combo). I also have good outdoor speakers on the system as well. Because sometimes I just like to be able to wander my home and feel immersed in high quality music.
The new whole home system is built around the new Mcintosh CR106 controller, with a pair of MI128 8-channel amps; KEF CI200QR ceiling speakers, KEF KC62 subs, and KEF Ventura 6s on the patio. I am streaming from Bluesound Nodes for now (using the CR106 DAC), and I have an MR87 tuner for nostalgia purposes.
Right now I have all the pairs in mono mode and that seems like the right approach to avoid hearing unbalanced stereo sound. The KEFs have very good off-axis dispersion, which is good because my ceilings are not terribly high.
Anyway, anyone else doing something like this in addition to your dedicated listing room? Any advice or tips?
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I made a Virtual System on this site: Alternate Toe-In for One or Two Listeners https://www.audiogon.com/systems/11516 It’s based on the Crossfield Technique used by DBX in my small Home Theater https://www.hifi-classic.net/review/dbx-soundfield-100-135.html AI Quickie" "The dbx Soundfield 100 is a vintage loudspeaker system introduced in 1987 designed to create a realistic stereo illusion across a wide listening area rather than a single "sweet spot." Priced originally at $899 per pair, it utilizes a unique non-parallel cabinet design with five drivers per speaker—including three tweeters and two woofers/midrange units—aimed at different angles to ensure consistent sound quality regardless of the listener’s position." ////////////////////////// Their 10" woofer is enough for my Video with 1 single Sub added for Dinosaur Stomps. My main system is all front mounted drivers, flat faces, thus I alter the toe-in like DBX's slanted face which is the foundation of their Crossfield Technique. I like them so much, I just bought a spare set of 3 tweeters on eBay just in case.
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This is a great topic- doesn't seem to get much airtime, even though these concerns are so central. My Quad 57's are incredibly beamy. This is one of the prices I pay for truly wonderful sound at a fraction of the cost of comparable alternatives. I built custom stands to raise them and point them directly at the "head in a vise" sweetspot. When friends sit there, and a great recording's on the turntable they "get it" right away. It makes sense for 50% of my listening time. Your idea of installing a high-end environmental system in addition to your sweet-spot system is excellent. I've thought of that, but I like the game of experimenting with vinatage gear too much- I'd have to choose one or the other. So I have a secondary two-channel system for ambient living/dining room social music, a 2-channel system in my studio/workshop that's got good dispersion and sounds very good with a wide range of music, even if it's not really for critical listening it's still pretty satisfying. In my one-season country house I even have a system with a pair of Bose 901's near the wall of a screen porch, which are fun with recordings with a lot of space around the instruments like dub. Talk about an ambient application- I crank these up when no one's around and have a lot of fun getting the outdoor chores done, and their great for parties as well. There's no one way to listen to great music. Having different systems configured for a variety spaces and patterns of use is, for me, the way to go. I find it interesting this approach isn't discussed more here- maybe I'm just my own kind of nut! |
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